The hands tugged hard.
He began to slide. Over the floor. Over the thick layer of Monster Blood.
“I’ve got you!” he heard Andy cry. “I’ll get you out!”
He opened his eyes. He saw her pulling him, tugging him out of the thick green gunk by the ankles.
It clung to his clothes and his skin. But he was out.
“Thanks,” he murmured weakly. He climbed shakily to his feet.
He could hear Conan screaming and crying back in the classroom. There was still time to save him, Evan realized.
He pulled a hunk of Monster Blood off the quivering green mound—and jammed it into his mouth.
“I’m going to be sick,” Andy groaned, holding her stomach.
Evan swallowed and reached for another mouthful. “It doesn’t taste bad,” he told her. “A little lemony.”
“Don’t eat too much!” she cried, half-covering her eyes as she watched him swallow another mouthful.
“I have to grow big enough so that Cuddles is hamster size compared to me,” Evan said. He grabbed another hunk.
He could already feel himself start to grow. His head was already over the tops of the lockers.
Back in the classroom, Conan let out another terrified wail.
“Let’s go!” Evan boomed. His voice thundered deeply in his new, larger body. He could feel himself growing taller. Taller.
He had to lower his head to get through the classroom door.
Kids and teachers moved out of his way, crying out their surprise and alarm.
He crossed the room, passed Mr. Murphy, and stepped up to the giant hamster. “I’m as big as Cuddles!” Evan called down to Andy.
He reached out and lifted Conan from Cuddles’s paws. Cuddles reached out to take Conan back. But Evan lowered him gently to the floor.
“Hellllp me! Helllp me!” Conan ran bawling from the room.
Evan turned to face the hamster. They stared at each other eye to eye.
Cuddles’s huge pink nose twitched. He sniffed Evan, inhaling so hard that Evan was nearly sucked forward.
Evan took a step back.
Keep growing! he urged himself. I’ve got to keep growing!
Cuddles eyed him warily, still sniffing. His watery black eyes stared hard as if trying to figure out if Evan was friend or foe.
“Don’t you remember me, Cuddles?” Evan said softly. “Remember, I’m the one who fed you after school every day?”
Keep growing! he silently urged himself.
Why aren’t I growing any taller?
Down below, he could see Andy, Mr. Murphy, and the others huddled against the far wall, staring up at the two giants in hushed terror.
Keep growing! Keep growing!
There was no way he could pick Cuddles up now, Evan realized. They were exactly the same height. And Cuddles outweighed him by at least a ton!
Keep growing!
“What’s wrong, Andy?” Evan called down to her in a trembling voice. “I ate tons of the stuff. Why did I stop growing?”
“I don’t know!” she called up to him. Her voice sounded as tiny as a mouse’s squeak.
He saw that she had the blue can in her hand. She was turning it over, reading the label. “I don’t know, Evan!” she shouted. “I don’t know why you’re not growing!”
Then, as Evan turned back to face Cuddles, the hamster reached out and grabbed his waist with both front paws.
“Ow!” Evan cried as the hamster tried to lift him off the floor.
Gazing up, he saw the gaping hamster mouth open, the sharp white teeth emerge.
Evan squirmed desperately, pulling himself loose. Then he wrapped both arms around the hamster’s middle.
They started to wrestle. Evan fought hard, but the hamster overpowered him. Cuddles rolled Evan onto his back on the floor.
